Hold Up the Sun
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day 1221: One night, Puck finds himself in need of help, and he calls in those who had promised to give him a hand if he needed it. - Sunshine Girls series


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 58th cycle. Now cycle 59!_

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**"Hold Up the Sun"  
Puck & family, Rachel & dads, Puck/Rachel  
Sunshine Girls series  
_(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)_  
**

Nora had been back at Quinn's for a few days now, and he knew this meant Quinn was either trying to get her to sleep, or trying to get some sleep of her own. It was very late already, but then these things had a way of sneaking up on you.

His mother had been complaining that she wasn't feeling well all evening, and she'd finally taken something and went to bed. It was early still, and by the time he'd gone to bed, he'd almost forgotten. It wasn't until his sister woke him up that he found his mother really wasn't alright at all. He needed to take her to the hospital, but he also had to think about his sister. He wasn't about to call Quinn. She had Nora, and that was where she needed to be.

His next thought had gone to Rachel, but then… He didn't see how he could bother her either, not with the way things remained between them.

In thinking of her, he recalled his encounter with her fathers. He kept hearing their words in his head, about how if he ever needed anything… They had meant it in relation to Nora, and even then he wouldn't have wanted to just run to them. But it was late, and he was desperate, and they had extended a hand of help. He couldn't ignore that, and calling on anyone else would have been too complicated. They were parents, and maybe he needed it to be them, to count on them.

He couldn't know who would pick up the phone, but maybe it would be one of them and he could spare Rachel from getting pulled into this.

Puck didn't know which of them had answered, only that when he explained his situation, he had said they would be right over. He got his mother ready to go while he waited. He didn't want to have to call an ambulance, but if things kept up he wouldn't have a choice. He was going to reach for the phone when he heard the doorbell.

"Sarah, go answer," he told his sister, and she ran off while he helped his mother to the door. "They're here," he told her. When they reached the hall, he looked up and saw them – all three of them. Hiram had come to help his mother to the car, while Leroy got Sarah so she would go back to bed. He would stay behind to keep an eye on her. Now for a moment it left Puck alone in the hall… with her. "I told them you didn't have to…"

"I woke up when I heard them getting ready, and… Why wouldn't you want to tell me?" she interrupted herself, frowning.

"I didn't want to bother you," he looked away.

"You don't bother me," she insisted. "Your mother's sick, you shouldn't be alone."

There was no point arguing, not now. So they had gotten in the car with Hiram and left for the hospital. He stayed with his mother in the back seat, helping her out when they arrived. He was forced to stay in the waiting room, which left him with Rachel and her father. The three of them sat silently side by side for some time. His mind was with his mother, though he could feel Rachel's gaze on him.

"I'll go call Leroy, let him know how things are going, find out how your sister is doing," Hiram got up.

"Thank you, sir," Puck looked to him as he walked off, running a hand across his mohawk. He got up, needing to move before he went stir crazy.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Rachel spoke after a minute.

"We don't know that," Puck wanted to be positive, but the universe had a special way of messing with him, and he didn't want any surprises.

"Whatever happens though, I… we'll be here," she promised. He would have said something like 'you don't have to,' but he would have been lying. Having her there now, it was comforting, whether he'd admit it to himself or not.

"I..." he started, making himself come back to sit. He was looking at his feet, but he had to say it, and she might be one of the only ones he'd say this to. "I'm scared. I know I don't always agree with her, but… she's my mom. If something happens…" Rachel put her arm around him, and he looked at her. "I'm glad you didn't listen to your dads," he told her, and she smiled.

"Don't tell them that," she made him promise, and he bowed his head.

Hiram had returned and informed Puck that his sister had finally agreed to go to bed, on condition that Leroy woke her if any news came about her mother. Puck and Rachel's fathers all seemed to agree that this would depend. If it was good news, then it would be just as good after a night's rest, and if it was bad, well… why disturb her for that?

He had slept, too, though not by choice. He had been sitting, waiting, he remembered that much. The next thing he knew, he was waking up, his head resting against Rachel's shoulder while her head rested against his. The motion of his waking up had woken her, too. He just had time to notice she'd been holding his hand before she released him and sat up, like he wasn't supposed to see it.

"What time is it, did they come back?" he asked Hiram, who was sitting nearby. He had this look on his face like he'd been watching his daughter and her ex while they slept. He had the smallest of smiles on him, and Puck knew it had nothing to do with what he'd say next.

"They did. She's going to need time to recover, but just focus on the fact that she'll be alright."

When he would go and see his mother, he would tell her about Rachel and her fathers and how they had helped him, helped her, on this night.

THE END/TO BE CONTINUED (IN DAY 1253B)

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******A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.  
****In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are  
************always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!**


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